Remembering Peter: In His Own Words

> Tampa Tribune, November 17, 2003: When will he leave the anchor chair?: “I’m not going to do it forever or until I become so decrepit that I fall out of the chair. I’ve done it for 20 years and have two years left on my current contract. I love the job. It gives a tremendous opportunity and access to the world every day. I’m going to keep doing it unless I become emotionally, intellectually or physically unable to do it — or ABC says, ‘Thank you, now go home.’”

> New York Times, August 10, 1983: When Jennings became WNT anchor: “It is a very big job. But it is a job. It is not being annointed. You sit down and ask yourself, can I do it, with all its components. Am I emotionally ready? Am I qualified? I think I am. But a year from now if they don’t like me doing it, I’ll still have a job.”

> Boston Globe, November 6, 1988: The anchor position “is a terrific job for now. I have a difficult time thinking of myself doing this job for a long, long time, and don’t ask me to define it. If you did this job for 15 years, that would be too long. I’ve done it for five years.”

> San Francisco Chronicle, November 21, 2001: “The word ‘guide’ is somewhat discomforting. At the same time, it’s what we do. What an anchorperson does is try and guide people through the maze of what’s happening — make sure the context is always there. I think that’s the most important thing.”

> Associated Press, March 4, 2001: “My greatest fear is that something is going to happen and I’m going to be thrown on the air at a moment’s notice and talk about something about which I don’t know anything.”

> Ottawa Citizen, July 8, 2003: Recalling the moment when he became a U.S. citizen: “I cried a little bit — my kids didn’t cry, but I cried a bit — but I’m a fairly emotional character anyway.”

> USA Today, September 9, 2003: “I look on occasion at CNN or Fox and say, ‘Oh man, I wish I could do that.’ But on occasion I think, ‘Thank God I don’t have to do that for several hours.’”

> Seattle Times, May 17, 2002: “My friends and my colleagues are always amused when I’m described as being calm and composed on TV. I’m really not. There’s a young woman walking next to me right now who’s laughing at hearing me described as cool.”

> Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 4, 1993: “I’m not very good for just quotes.”

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